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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

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UNITEI^ STATES OF AMERICA. 



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Fishers of flen. 



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J. A. RICHARDS 




" Without a Parable 
Spake He not ttnto Them,^^ 



FLEVIING H. REVELL COMPANY 



CHICAGO : 
148 AND 150 Madison St. 



NEW YORK : 
30 Union Square, East. 



Publishers of Evangelical Literature. 



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COPYRIGHT, 1892 

by 
FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY 



*' Follow vie and I will make you fishers of men.^'' — 
Matt. 4-9. 

*' Follow me.'' 

Aye, but there are lots of people who can't 
follow Christ. They haven't the ^^ beautiful 
^^^^ " '<f.^^^i spoken of in Isaiah. Still 
there 's^'**'^''^^- no trouble with them physi- 
cally. The difficulty is, that they are dead 
in trespasses and sins. This command is not 
spoken to dead people. 



Are You Alive? 



Have you died with Him and have you been 
raised again, and are you ^^ walking in Him 
who is your head, even Christ?'* In brief, 
are you a Christ Christian? Dead people can't 
follow nor fish. 




Are you Well? 

Some Christians are sick-a-bed. They have 
allowed the self-life to starve the Christ-life 
till they're bed-ridden and have been so for 
years. Sick men can neither follow nor fish. 




No, No! 



The Lord doesn't call you to follow and fish, 
you half-alive, sick-a-bed Christian. What 
lots of you there are ! What a mistake is 
often made in trying to set you to work. 
Better try to get you well. Take Christ as 
a tonic, legion friend, till you are able to 
stand and walk in Him. Then there will be 
some chance of following and fishing. 



Well People, "Follow fie." 

We've sifted our readers by this time as Gideon 
did his band. I^^^&ri^i^ '^ Follow me, " 

said Christ, /^^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^^^ 

secret of all w \^^^)\1 suceessful fishing. 
If we would ^^wi\ /^|Nov simply take these 
two words ""^^^^^W^^ and begin to 

attach all the importance to them that there 
is in them there were no need to write another 
word. But, because we'^re human as well as 
divine, the Lord has to be explicit, for he not 
only says ^'follow me," but he says '^And I 
will make you fishers of^Men.*' 

And where He is explicit we may well be. 



Repetition for Emphasis. 

The call of Peter and John is repeated in 
almost exact words by Matthew, Mark and 
Luke. 

Matt, 4-g. Folloiv 7ne mid I will make you fishers of 

men, 
Mark i-iy. Come ye after me and I will make you to 

become fishers of men, 
Luke ^-10, From henceforth thou shall catch men. 

Inasmuch as these men were disciples, they are 
types of all disciples, and the call thus thrice 
repeated is to all Christ's alive and well 
Christians. 




Following Leads to Filling. 

It was three years and more after Peter began 
to follow Christ before he was filled with the 
Spirit. 

It needn't be so long with us. ^^ Received 
ye the Holy Spirit when ye believed ? " If 
not, you must have Him before you can do 
any fishing. 

Filled fishermen are the effective fishermen. 



The Master Fisherman and Guide. 

The Holy Spirit is the chief fisherman. His 
business in this dispensation is to gather out 
of the world a Church for Christ. He knows 
the haunts and habits of the fish. His guid- 
ance and his skill are indispensable to success- 
ful fishing. 

To go before he sends is fruitless, but the 
desire to fish is implanted by him. 



Dress Accordingly. 

A fisherman doesn't dress for a ball. A 
jewelled hand or a showy attire may attract 
the fish from God to you. But every fisher- 
man knows that it's his business to keep 
himself out of sight. 




loudy Days. 

The necessity for hiding self often 
)^ ^ renders a cloudy day the best time 

for fishing. Days when the Lord has hid him- 
self behind some cloud of sorrow^ either from 
you or the soul sought. At such times you 
are shut up to naked faith for a knowledge 
of God and his love, or the soul fished for 
realizing that he stands alone, stripped of 
earthly props, is therefore shut up to God. 
These are days for a great catch. 



The Tackle. 




It depends on how you 

are called on to fish, 

X whether you shall use 

a net or a hook and 



line. 



Peter at Pentecost was a net fisherman. 
Philip fished for the Ethiopian with a hook 
and line. The latter is at once the most im- 
portant and most neglected method of fishing, 
so the following pages will be devoted to 
hook and line fishing. 




Prayer. ^^Long?" No, it needn't be so 
long as the ordinary fishing line, and you 
need to use a different one for every fish. 

^^ Strong?' ' Yes, there's no line so strong 
as prayer. 

Be sure your line was made by the Spirit, 
however, for if he indite not the prayer, 
it will break with the first using. 



God is where the Fish are. 



Does it strike you as strange that a line 

is used as an emblem of prayer, because 

the fishing line goes down into 

the \ dark, murky waters, whereas your 




concep 
been that 
you're fishing 
God's where 
the direction 



tion of prayer has always 

it goes up ? Well, when 

always remember that 

P^^ the fish are, and 

for prayer is to seek 



Him among the fish. 




ook. 

Faith barbed with truth. Your faith in 
Christ as your Saviour; yes, and as the 

Saviour of the soul for whom you're fishing. 

The size of your hook doesn't matter so much 

as the quaUty of it. Strong faith is a requisite. 
Did you ever stop to think how big a fish 

may be caught on how small a hook? 

The Barb. Truth. God's Truth. It hurts the 
flesh where it hooks, but the hurt is whole- 
some. The fish may struggle, but as long as 
he holds the hook, the hook will hold him. 



Sinker. 



You are fishing in deep pools of selfishness 
and sin, or rather selfishness which is sin. 
The word of your testimony brings your 
prayer and your faith down to where the fish 
are. Christ has ordained that all his saving 
power shall be brought nigh by your testi- 
mony. 




Float. 



Oft times you can't see, through the muddy 
water of this world, whether the fish are bit- 
ing or not. A float in the shape of inspired 
common sense will tell you and will also 
keep your hook off the bottom and out of 
the mud. Inspired common sense, mind 
you ; not your own ordinary common 
sense, for the wise man said: ^^ Lean 
not to thine own understanding." 




The Landing Net. 

Divine grace, placed in your hands, with ^ 
which, at the proper time, to enfold ^^/ , 
the then submissive fish. ^^At /Vm 
the proper time." Ah, yes: JmxMll'ti' //^ 
truth first, then grace ; the ^^^l-fe' ' barb 
of the hook before the loving ^^meshes of 
the landing net. But both the one and the 
other are evidences of God's great love. 




Box of Live Bait. 



The Bible* No irreverence, not the least. 
Are there not passages of the blessed word 
with which we may bait our hooks to 
attract any kind of fish that ever swam 
this world wide sea? Such passages, 
every one, are quivering with the life and 
power of Christ. Wisdom is needed to adapt 
the bait to the fish, sure enough. We must 
study the bait box and study the fish, under 
the tuition of the Master fisherman, the Holy 
Spirit. 



Digging Bait. 

''Search the Scriptures =^ ^ ^ they are they 
which testify of me," said Christ. ^ 'Study to 
show thyself approved unto God, a workman 
that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly divid- 
ing the word of truth," said Paul to Timothy. 
Dig, pick up and stow away for the imme- 
diate future use, the precious things of God. 
The word is a great big fertile farm. Some 
specially rich spots to be sure, but good digging 
anywhere. But the good things are only to be 
had for the digging. 




And now that the Tackle 
is all Together 

let^s look at it a moment. 
These five things the fisherman 
tries to conceal. Himself, the 
hook, line, float and sinker. 

There's just one thing that he 
tries to make the fish see, and 
that's the bait. Significant facts for the Chris- 
.tian fisherman. Everything that we are in 
any way connected with should be as much 
concealed as possible. The word of God is 
the one thing to be made prominent, to 
allure the hungry soul of the sinner fish. 





*^ Where's my Tackle?'' 

Haven H you heard such a cry 
come down from the garret, from 
the lips of the man or the boy 
of the house to his mother or 
wife? '^I haven't fished since 
last spring." 

There are lots of Christians who seem to 
think that there are seasons for soul fishing as 
distinct as those that the law fixes for pisca- 
torial sport. They only fish during a revival. 

No wonder their hooks get rusty and their 
lines are snarled when they find them tucked 
away in some corner. Such people generally 
find their bait stale and dead, just as the 
Israelites found their manna spoiled if kept 
over from one day to another. 



Go where the fish are. 



Yes, that's the next thing, but almost too self- 



evident to be men 

one would think. 

Christians 

almost any 

expecting 

come to the 

caught. But 




tioned. So 
But most 
are doing 
thing else; 
sinner fish to 
church to be 
pshaw ! such 



are not fishermen, after all; they're these 
sick-a-bed, half-alive Christians. The true 
fisherman knows where to go and goes. 



Sacrificial Fishing. 

If the Good Shepherd layeth down his life 
for the sheep, the good fisherman may lay 
down his life for the fish. His convenience, 
of course, his pleasure, certainly, nay more, 
his very life, for the fish. Nothing wins so 
•^urely as sacrificial fishing. 



A flountain Stream. 



Over rocks and fallen trees, through thickets 
and morasses the true fisherman follows with 
eager delight the course of a mountain stream, 

not been fished 




y^' How eagerly the 
What cares he 
culties which be- 
He is filling his 



which has 
this season, 
fish bite ! 
for the diffi 
set the way. 
basket. 

This is a parable of the Christian fisherman 
in many a mission field. Why waste sympathy 
on him? ^^ Hardships? " He knows them 
not; he's catching fish for his Master. 



Throusrh the Ice. 



*s> 



The Lord be gracious unto the soul that's 
fishing in a gospel-hardened community. 
He's fishing through the ice. Everything 
and almost everybody is frozen up. He's 
misunderstood at every point, even if he stirs 
around in prayer meeting in order to keep 
warm. There are plenty of fish, but the ice 
is so thick, and the fish are so sluggish. Here 
are difficulties worse than the mountain stream, 
but the Holy Spirit can warm such a fisher- 
man and keep him at his task, undiscouraged 
by the small catch. 



Bait your Hook, and Don't 
be all Day About it. 

Haven't you, over and over again, seen Chris- 
tians in the enquiry rooms and at the altar, 
at a loss for the word, fumbling the leaves 
of their Bible in search for something they 
know is there, but which they cannot, for the 
life of them, locate? The sinner fish ob- 
serves this awkwardness and makes up his 
mind that you don't understand your business. 
You ought to be able to turn readily to 
the passage the Lord sug- 
gests. 

Don't neglect the fish, 
though, if you have but ' 
one bit of bait. 




Throw Your Line Skilfully. 



Don^t get your tackle fouled in the branches 
of overhanging trees. It isn't 
skilful fishing to begin talk- 
ing theology or church. 
That's fouling your^\ line. 

Christ is your salva- 
tion. Christ is your theme. 
It doesn't follow that you 
must be abrupt, though ; fish 
are shy. 




Hook and Line Fishing is 
quiet Business, 

one at a time business, but business indeed, 
blessed, blessed business. The Church at 
large is not. likely to hear much of you. You 
may never be a deacon, elder or other offi- 
cial, but Christ's business is the grandest work 
in the world. There are thousands of bed- 
ridden Christians who will bustle about (true, 
paradox though it be), and make the Church 
hear of their distinguished services, but you 
keep right on fishing, waiting for the recom- 
pense of reward. 





Ah! There's a Bite. 



Careful now, more skill than energy. Let him 
get a firm hold of your hook, then confident 
steady pulling in on the line. You are draw- 
ing the fish in toward the Christ in you, 
your Saviour until He shall become his Sav- 
iour too. 

You are reeling in your own prayer and 
faith with the answer on the end of it. Re- 
member that Christ said, '^Ye shall catch 
men." 

Don't get nervous ! Let the Lord keep 
you calm and still, although very much inter- 
ested. Nervousness is contagious and the fish 
may feel it. 



Is He Qamey? 

Argumentative ? j^m f The best way is to 
let him tire himi'^^^^/ self out. Don't join 
in the argument. ~ ^^ / jt would be but a 
strife about words to il. no purpose. As long 
as he has the bait .\^ and is well hooked, 
it's only a question of ^^ a little time. 

Give him hook and line ^^-^ (Faith and 
Prayer) in plenty, and reel ^=^ in when- 
ever he stops struggling. No v^^ wonder 
he struggles, the hook hurts his v ^ fleshly 
nature, but at the end of every "^^-^Sp- strug- 
gle the flesh is weaker. 

Now quickly, dexterously, use your landing 
net of Divine grace. 



Landed. 

Praise God, yes, praise Him ! No credit to 
the tackle as far as it was human, or to your- 
self in any way. But did you ever see the 
eye of a true fisherman shine as he landed a 
famously large and powerful fish? What 
a keenness of pleasure ! 

Who can tell of the joy of soul win- 
ning! Who can describe the waves of 
heavenly pleasure that surge over the soul 
as you see him for whom you have been-^ 
fishing, possibly for months or years, 
for the first time breathing the breath of life, 
a fish no longer but a new creature in a new 
realm. It almost seems as if you could hear 
the joyous songs the angels sing over the 
' one sinner that repenteth. 




t^^ 



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Discouraged Fisherman, 

a word for you. God does not judge the 
faithfulness of the fishing by the size of the 
catch, but by the number of times you have 
skilfully cast your baited hook before the fish. 
This is a reckoning only He can make, and 
it may be He will say, Well done, good and 
faithful fisherman, you have been faithful over 
a few things. 



*« Lord, If I May 
I'll Fish Another Day/' 




Let us all Sing the Chorus, 
One More Day's Work," etc. 



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iiL"i«.!i!,X ^^ CONGRESS 



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